Article by Julie Ball
As the weather continues to warm, the spring fishing trend is showing promise of a good season.
The red and black drum scene continues to improve on the Eastern Shore side of the Bay.
Last week, the black drum activity in the Chesapeake Bay took a notable leap, with several boats catching multiple fish. Plenty of big blacks, measuring to over 46-inches, are hitting offerings of chowder clams and sea clams, with anglers experiencing good catches from near Buoys 13 and 16 off Cape Charles, to Buoys 8 and 10 along Nautilus Shoal.
Red drum action, especially at night, is also escalating with anglers finding good action along the breakers and within the inlet at Fisherman’s Island as well as along Nautilus and the Nine-foot Shoals. Both cut bait and blue crabs are working for reds lately.
Anglers are still finding some striped bass action along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, where a variety of topwater lures thrown along the spines at all four islands is getting the job done, especially at first light and at dusk. The current Bay guidelines can be tricky right now, so be sure to review the regulations before you go.
Small to medium-sized croaker, small spot and some sea mullet, together with nice weather is making local fishing piers popular lately. Piers along the oceanfront are also hosting some snapper bluefish in the mix.
The Bay flounder bite is still not on fire, but the action continues to develop. Some flatfish responded to offerings of live bait and jigs presented around the structure of the Bay Bridge Tunnel last week. Keeper-sized flounder are still active within the Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets, while anglers are still reporting limits of respectable flatties from the seaside inlets and backwaters of the Eastern Shore. A few puppy drum are also responding in many of these same shallow water locations.
Wreckfishing may attract some renewed interest, since the sea bass season reopened last week. A few boats tested the water on opening day, with some decent fish showing up, although not huge numbers of them. You can keep up to 15 sea bass per person, measuring at least 12.5-inches long.
Spadefish will appear soon at the Chesapeake Light Tower and near shore wrecks, and a few nice sheepshead are also beginning to show along the CBBT.
Deep dropping is still a good bet, with blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, blackbellied rosefish, wreck fish and a variety of grouper still on the menu along the edges of the Norfolk Canyon. With black sea bass season open, anticipate an increase in deep dropping interest.
The Carolina bluewater bite is still going on with yellowfin tuna and bull dolphin dominating the scene. A few billfish are also still a possibility.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A. representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For more information, go to www.drjball.com.